Duplicity
by SkittlezLvr79
Summary: Caught up in a web of lies and deceit, Seth struggles to find the truth and set them all free
1. Chapter 1

**Warnings: **_This may be dark and triggering to some people so if you think you may fall into that category, please don't read it. There will be mentions of death and mental illness, strong language, violent situations. Set after the Jericho Podcast and Seth's comments regarding the situation. _

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own them and I'm not making money off these crazy ideas that pop into my head. _

**Author's Notes: **_This idea has been in my head for awhile but I've been dealing with writer's block, still am. This probably won't be updated quickly. My longer chapter fics always take me awhile to get through so I hope you understand if updates come weeks apart. _

**Summary: **_Caught up in a web of lies and deceit, Seth struggles to find the truth and set them all free_

* * *

It was something that Seth would never get used to, no matter how many times it happened. Seeing the face of the man who had killed Dean, his brother, his wrestling soulmate plastered on ads would always give him chills. However, the man in question wasn't being prosecuted for what happened, the life that had been lost. He was being celebrated, praised, idolized by millions of people. Held up as a shining example of everything that had been wrong in the world until the moment that man eradicated Dean Ambrose from existence.

It made his blood boil.

It trivialized who Dean had been. Stripped away the life he'd spent eight log, hard fought years building. Made him nothing more than a cautionary tale. A reason not to change, to evolve, to strive to become something other than what nature had decided you to be. It tainted every memory of Dean.

Watching the man made him angry.

If he was honest with himself, he had been spiraling since the day it happened. Veering between heartbreak and out of control anger every waking moment. He'd lashed out several times in the press. Said what he could, what he was allowed to say. Yet the Seth had become the monster in people's eyes, hated because he wasn't celebrating a murderer. He hated the fickle nature of humanity, detested that they could excuse it so easily.

His phone rang, jarring him from his thoughts and his eyes cut away from the screen in front of him. The name on the display should have brought him comfort in that moment. Should have been a beacon of light in his ever darkening world. But it wasn't. Because the person on the other line had fallen into the same mentality as the millions of sheep around the world, accepted the transgression in order not to lose himself to the darkness. His finger pressed accept anyway because the other man wouldn't stop calling until he answered.

"Hey Roman," His voice sounded cold and indifferent to his own ears and he made a face. There went the notion of pretending everything was fine. That he wasn't torturing himself with memories of the good times and wallowing in the moments that had tainted them.

"I guess I'm too late." The sigh was weighted, "I thought I told you that you had to let it go."

He swallowed thickly, ignoring the query, needing to finally voice the questions that had been haunting him for the last couple of months. "Did you know that he was going to show up there?"

"No."

"Did you know he was going to go media?" His tone was bordering on hysteria. "You know he was going to say the things he said and tear our worlds to pieces all over again? Belittle everything we built and act like Dean was nothing more than some cross to bare?"

"Seth…"

"No, I really want to know Roman."

"Of course I didn't." Exasperation was heavy in the older man's tone. "I haven't exactly been having long heart to heart conversations with him."

"I would hope not." The words were almost a snarl of contempt. "He killed our brother, whether you want to admit that or not."

The breath that was sucked in on the other line was sharp and a few moments went by before Roman spoke. "We want to believe that but there's no proof and he denied that any of the things that transpired were more than an unfortunate coincidence."

Right. The lack of a body and the word of a monster who proclaimed his innocence was enough for Samoan man to take things at face value. But not him. He'd endured more with Dean in those final six months of his life than their eldest brother had because of his own illness. Enough to know that the end result had been set into motion way before Dean's demise, like a year before it happened.

"Seth, say something."

"What's there to say?"

Another long suffering sigh escaped Roman's mouth, "Then at least tell me that you're going to stop doing this to yourself. That you're going to start letting yourself heal and move on."

He opened his mouth but the words that came out weren't going to be the ones that the other man hoped to hear. "I have to go."

"Seth,"

He disconnected the call and turned his phone off. His attention went back to his laptop screen, eyes narrowed as they settled on unaffected face that was on it. There'd be no letting go or healing until Seth did what needed to be done.

There'd be no peace in his heart or rest for his body and mind until he could prove that what he knew in his heart was true.

That Jon Moxley had killed Dean Ambrose.


	2. Behind Blue Eyes

Seth stared at the image that had been paused on his screen, eyes narrowed in disgust. Jon Moxley's infuriatingly smug twist to his lips captured perfectly in the middle of giving another interview about why he left WWE. Spewing venom toward the company that he spent eight years at, practically destroying all that they worked their asses off for with his acid laced words. Ranting about being unhappy and depressed by his situation in the company. Glorifying how he'd been counting down the days until he was free. Exposing how much he actually loathed the character he played.

Character.

That was a laughable, falsified description.

Seth had been doing his research on this subject ever since he recognized that it was a possible answer to the questions that haunted him since Dean's disappearance from their lives. Countless hours of lost sleep spent going over articles. Reading every book he could get his hands on that covered the subject. Creating a timeline of events to try to pinpoint things. Watching documentaries on the matter and taking thorough notes, comparing the evidence to the experts observations.

Seth was pretty sure he had it all figured out.

Moxley was the so called character or rather his research taught him that it was called an alter. He had been created by Dean out of necessity. First brought to life on the cruel streets of Cincinnati as a nameless shield of armor to cope with his less than ideal reality he faced. However, once the dirty blonde stepped into a wrestling ring, Moxley had truly been born. The alter had become a crutch that he leaned on when he felt weak or anxious. A mask to hide behind over the years to keep people at arm's length. An excuse to engage in violent, twisted, harmful behavior without feeling any regret or remorse for his actions.

That had given Moxley power.

He liked power.

Dean was essentially a good person. A little screwed up emotionally and riddled with odd quirks and social anxieties. That could not be denied. At his core, the one he only allowed those he was closest with to see, he was a loyal, caring person who had been unfortunate enough to be born into shitty circumstances with terrible parents. He lived a life full of unspeakable horrors because of that.

Because of those circumstances, his mental state was not the best. There were trust issues deeply embedded in him. He never believed in himself. Thought he was nothing but weak and useless. Despised how people assumed that he was stupid or even worse, crazy. In all ways that mattered, Dean had been beaten down by years of thinking that he'd be nothing but a failure in anything he did.

That was a recipe for disaster.

Moxley was the antithesis of that. He was confident and cocky, full of bluster and bravado. Thought he was the greatest thing to ever happen to the world. Didn't care what people thought about him or the things he did because they didn't matter. Never cared if his actions ended up hurting Dean because Dean was weak.

He got tired of being only a character.

Moxley wanted to live.

All he had to do was takeover Dean's life, which he had easily. Racking up a reputation as a crazy, soulless lunatic who cared about no one but himself and even that was tenuous. Indulging in drinking and drugs, almost ruining Dean's life and career in the process. Confident that he had killed off any lingering traces of Dean.That the life he had commandeered was always going to be his and his alone.

Until Dean had enough of being a bystander and decided to take back control. He fought like hell to overcome the demon and make his life, his own again. Managed to lock Moxley up somewhere deep inside his brain. Built more than he ever thought possible. Gained confidence and could ignore all those old insecurities. Learned to keep his head in the game and his eyes on the prize.

Seth rubbed his temples, feeling that all too familiar twinge of a headache beginning to blossom. He ignored it, determined to piece all of this together. Someone needed to. They had to prove that Dean had been real and that Moxley was responsible for his demise. Justice or vengeance was needed for their fallen brother.

Despite everything Dean did, Moxley had somehow taken over again.

He was pretty sure that it had to have happened when Dean got MRSA. His brother must have been at his lowest and most vulnerable then because that was when things got weird. Calls and texts went unanswered. They were kept in the dark about how serious things were and that he could have died. Didn't know that he'd spent additional weeks in the hospital fighting the terrible effects of the treatment for it.

He noticed when Dean returned that he'd changed. How could anyone not? Beside the physical transformation, his entire demeanor was different. Way more quiet and still, almost disturbingly so. Spaced out a lot. More violent and threatening in situations where he wouldn't have been before.

It went ignored. They were just happy to have their boy back. Didn't want to do anything to annoy or upset him. Pretended that everything was exactly as it always had been. That as long as the three of them were together, all was right in the world.

That was a huge miscalculation on their part.

Moxley gained more traction with their feigned ignorance of the changes. He probably enjoyed the fact that they didn't realize what was really happening. That he could seamlessly immerse himself in Dean's life and enjoy the fruits of the man's labor. Enjoyed their enemies trying to woo him to the dark side because it validated his belief that he was more valuable than Dean. Plotted his own plan to betray them and seize the spotlight for himself because Moxley didn't like to share.

Then came Roman's illness bombshell. It was the perfect time to strike. To try to destroy the bonds of brotherhood that had been built. Moxley attacked when they were reeling and unprepared with an efficiency that was frightening. Left disbelief and turmoil in his wake as he walked out of the arena that night.

Moxley tried to make the most of the moment whenever it was presented to him. The flaw in that was that alters only took over the hosts mind. He didn't think about the fact that Dean's heart wouldn't be into feuding with his brother again. That Dean's mouth would refuse to spew venom about Roman's illness and how it was deserved. Ignored the fact that Dean would never just sit back and accept someone trying these tactics, even if they were using his own body to do it.

When Roman returned, once again safely in remission, Moxley had started to weaken. Each day more and more of their Dean had begun bleeding through. The alter retreated. Mox was smarter about the battle this time. Hid deep in the shadows of Dean's mind so he couldn't be seen.

They pushed for a reconciliation knowing that the dirty blond had opted not to renew his contract with the company. He accepted, albeit reluctantly. They rode out the rest of Dean's days in the company together. Made sure to express exactly what he meant to them and how much they were going to miss him. Accepted that they couldn't change his mind about resigning. Wished him luck in whatever he decided to do with the next step of his journey.

It was Dean who with them those final weeks and who left that fateful night.

Of that, Seth felt sure.

Because there was no way Moxley could have stomached pretending that long. It wasn't in his makeup. He couldn't have suppressed his disgust of all the emotional, nostalgic conversations that took place in that time period. Wouldn't have been able to handle the tears and hugs that the goodbye produced. Never would have lingered after and sat in the parking lot after the show ended, drinking beer and thanking them for caring about him.

The idea that it would be the last night they saw him never crossed their minds. As it turned out, it was.

Moxley had been allowing Dean those moments because his plan was already in motion. He resumed control quickly after the departure. As soon as Dean's contract was officially up and no legal action could be taken, the trailer dropped announcing Jon Moxley's miraculous return to the world of wrestling. It took social media by storm. A tumult of excitement, shock, fear centered around that well designed, impeccably constructed self promotion.

There'd been no trace of Dean ever since.

Seth's hand hit the screen, unintelligible snarls of rage ripping from his lips and he mentally vowed to do whatever it takes to bring Moxley down once and for all.

Roman had been sitting in the same spot for over a half an hour. He was debating about whether or not he should take this step ever since Seth had angrily hung up on him. The Samoan man really didn't want to make this call but he knew that he needed to. His youngest brother's behavior was really starting to scare him and he needed to talk to the only other person who'd understand. Really, the only other person in the world who would care.

The problem with this situation was that said little brother's recent comments and complaints, both public and private, may have set that bridge on fire. Left nothing but a bunch of ashes and a wide gaping gorge between them. Reaching out and explaining the wild theories the Iowa native held would probably backfire big time. Leave even more distance between them. Chip away at the bonds of brotherhood that had somehow managed to be repaired.

That should be a red flag not to do it.

But everything inside him was urging him to make that call.

Maybe he wanted to prove to Seth and himself that they were still brothers at the core. That despite everything that happened since Dean left, nothing had really changed between them. Sure, they weren't always in each other's space anymore but their bond remained firmly intact. Knowing that, it could bring relief. Help to soothe over the hurt feelings and bitter comments that had been carelessly hurled like grenades the last few weeks.

He took a deep breath, went into contacts and tapped on the name.

The simple ringing sound had never made his nerves jumpier than they were at this point in his life.

"Ro! What's up brother!"

Hearing that familiar, gruff but loveable voice filled him with a pang so intense and sharp that forced him to swallow thickly, feeling much more emotional than he anticipated. "Hey uce, sorry for calling…"

"What's with the apology?"

"I wasn't sure you would want to hear from me." He admitted reluctantly.

The deep rumbling bark of laughter was something he hadn't heard in far too long, "You're not the one who's out in public using Vince's ridiculous lines and making himself look like a hypocritical jackass."

Roman grimaced because the other man wasn't exactly wrong in his description of recent events. "No, I'm not and hopefully never will be but I am calling because of him."

"Vince?" It was a deliberately obtuse response. "Don't see any reason to talk about the old man."

The older man sighed, "you know that I meant Seth".

"Why? Should I be worried?" Another gruff guffaw reached his ears. "He gonna show up at my house and boil my bunny?"

"You have a bunny?" Confusion was etched into every word. "Why would he boil it?"

If it was physically possible to hear eyes roll, he knew that he would have heard Dean's baby blues doing just that. "Because every interview he gives lately, he sounds like a scorned ex lover about to go fatal attraction on my ass uce."

"Oh." His body actually cringed hard at that. "I didn't realize that."

"Yup," the p was popped for added emphasis, making a three letter word so much more. "So if it's not that, what is it?"

"It might sound crazy…" another sigh heaved from Roman's body, "but he has this idea that you-"

His sentence trailed off weakly and he closed his eyes. Damn it. How the hell was he going to tell Dean that Seth believed he had a split personality and one killed the other? It sounded ludicrous even in his head let alone actually saying it out loud.

"That I?" Dean prompted calmly.

"What's Moxley to you?" He decided to try a different track. One that was less insane and potentially dangerous.

"Huh?"

"Is Moxley who you really are or is it how you always described the Dean we saw in the ring, as a heightened version of yourself you use when needed."

Silence. One of those heavy, awkward, uncomfortable silences that had happened several times after Dean had returned from injury. That creepy quiet that had settled over the room the night Dolph, Drew and Braun had tried to recruit Dean. One of the lapses that took over whenever you veered into topics he wasn't comfortable with, like his pothole filled past. Obviously, he hadn't been expecting that they'd be talking about Moxley.

"Moxley is just Moxley." The words were slow and thoughtful but held no real emotion as far as he could tell. "Just like Dean was just Dean."

That response didn't do what Roman had hoped it would. It didn't set his mind at ease. The words were much more evasive than he had been expecting them to be. Too controlled. Almost as if they had been rehearsed.

He was second guessing the notion of presenting Seth's theory at all.

"But really, why the hell are we talking about who I am when the camera's on?" There was obvious trepidation in the gruff tone, "And how does that relate to Seth and the shit he's been saying?"

Roman was now stuck in a hell of his own making. He had two options. Option one was straight-forward and had sounded so easy in his head when he decided that he had to make this call. Tell Dean why he called, lay everything out and ask for answers. Come up with a plan to make Seth see that his theory was nothing but his overstressed brain and his hurt feelings screwing with him.

The other option was to beat around the bush. Be vague in order to draw more information out of Dean. Use everything he could to try to verify that there was no validity to the silly notion. It wouldn't be easy. That course was a road fraught with potential peril.

Over the phone, it was incredibly hard to gauge what Dean was thinking; other than the obvious pauses or change in vocal inflection. What if he read more into what was said than there actually was? Or what if it went the other way and he didn't read enough into it?

Dean's voice broke into his thoughts. "Not gonna lie man, you're starting to freak me the fuck out. It ain't like you to get all nervous and shit when you got something to say. You've always been a straight shooter."

"Sorry," A grimace crossed his face. "I'm trying to collect my thoughts."

"oh yeah, cause that doesn't sound ominous at all." That drawled statement was heavy with sarcasm.

Time to do a little investigative work and hopefully not completely piss the other man off. "What do you know about split personalities?"

"Like Two Face from Batman?"

Quick answer. No hesitation. But also, no verbal clue to tell hi if it was just an attempt at a joke or a serious inquiry. "Well yes, I mean, movies and television will make it more over the top but kind of like that."

Another silence but this one felt more bewildered than tense. After a couple of seconds, Dean's voice confirmed that suspicion. "I have to admit, I'm struggling to keep up with this whole thing.This might be the weirdest conversation we've ever had. Why are we talking about this and how does it relate to Seth acting like an ass?"

This tactic was failing. It was time to man up and lay the cards on the table. Roman closed his eyes and opened his mouth, mentally preparing himself for the possible storm he was about to unleash in their lives. "Seth believes that you're dead and that Jon Moxley killed you."

Nothing.

Not even a breath.

Not the reaction he was expecting and he really wasn't expecting the silence to linger this long after dropping a bombshell like that. His mouth creased in a frown and his eyes narrowed slightly as he voiced his thought aloud, "Uce, are you still there?"

"I have another call." Dean's tone had changed. It was hollow but somehow colder which sent a shiver down his spine. "Talk to you soon."

"Wait!" The word was a desperate plea that tumbled helplessly from Roman's mouth.

Whatever excuses that were going to come out of his mouth were too late. The call had been disconnected before they could even truly form.


End file.
